Devolver Digital and Galvanic Games’ Wizard With a Gun features a unique blend of magic and mayhem, which we checked out on the PlayStation 5. This cooperative online sandbox survival game, which also can be played solo, invites players to explore a mystical wilderness full of dangerous creatures and dark magic. Whether venturing solo or with a companion, you’re tasked with gathering resources, crafting weapons, and adorning your wizard in a style that seamlessly merges function and fashion.
The game’s aesthetic is a delightful and colorful fusion of fantasy and Wild West, featuring characters cloaked in dusters and armed with pistols against a backdrop that combines rustic charm with magical intrigue. The visual design is captivating, offering a whimsical journey through a world replete with diverse cultures and biomes. Galvanic Games excels here in creating a rich, vibrant environment that breathes life into the narrative.
As you delve deeper into the game, the narrative unfolds more and more, hinting at a dark undertone set against the apocalypse. The lore provides depth to the world, with journals and items revealing fragments of the story. The game adeptly weaves together enigmatic denizens, dark undertones, and mysteries, immersing players in a surprisingly captivating tale.
The gameplay formula revolves around an action-packed twin-stick shooter experience with a twist – a crafting system that lets you create an arsenal of unique, elemental-based ammunition. This introduces layers of strategy to the combat, allowing for experimentation and adaptation to different situations. The balance between resource gathering, equipment upgrades, and expeditions forms a satisfying gameplay loop, keeping players invested in their progression.
However, the game’s time limit of five minutes per run occasionally clashes with the survival theme, allowing for a pop-in, pop-out approach that reduces the urgency (and narrative drive) it’s meant to create. Combat, while promising with its spell bullets and elemental interactions, also ends up falling a tad short in execution. Dodging in particular can feel a bit off, and enemy attacks can feel predictable. Environmental manipulation also suffers a bit because of imprecise controls, so we’re hoping these things will be tweaked post-launch.
Co-op play definitely enhances the experience, opening up opportunities for dynamic battles and cooperative exploration. The game’s replayability is bolstered by diverse gameplay possibilities, allowing for experimentation with different builds. The vibrant aesthetic, along with cosmetic items and customizable towers, provides room for creative expression.
In summary, Wizard With a Gun is a promising fusion of magic and firearms, delivering an engaging world and an enchanting narrative. It excels in crafting an engaging gameplay loop, but faces challenges with combat mechanics and control issues. Despite these hiccups, it offers a captivating experience. With further refinements and content updates, it has the potential to cast an even more potent spell on the gaming world. We’ll certainly be checking those patch notes, if and when they come out.
Score: 7.3/10
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